Stand up for Wrestling

I remember watching Comedy Central in the middle of the day on the weekends when I was a kid. They’d have old school Robin Williams bits on, or Gallagher (underrated), or Paula Poundstone. Just great and classic awesome stand up routines. It was awesome, and I am fairly confident that’s how I started to get into stand up comedy. It helped that my Dad also loved it, so I was fortunate to start listening to so many legends of comedy WAY earlier than I should have been allowed to. It was a delightful way to grow up, and gave me a tremendous appreciation for awesome Stand Up Comedians. As I usually do, let’s compare some things that I like with wrestling. In this installment, you’ve guessed it! We’re comparing some of the best comedians to some of the best wrestlers.

Steve Martin - This might sound crazy to the people who only know him as the dude from Cheaper by the Dozen, and Three Amigos, but Steve Martin was at one point the most famous Stand Up Comedian in the entire world. He was a rock star, and would bring in these HUGE crowds all over the place. He was the first rock star comedian, and it honestly holds up. Not much comedy ages that well, and certainly not comedy from the late 70s, but his really does.

Steve was so successful in stand up comedy that he decided to walk away from it. He transitioned into acting, where he was able to have a tremendously successful acting career. The Jerk, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Father of the Bride, Bowfinger, and many many other classics. I’m taking the legend and multi talented Steve Martin, and comparing him to the multi talented and Legendary Dan Gable. Dan was so good at wrestling, that he walked away from it, and transitioned into coaching, where he had a longer and more successful career. Another great thing about both of these guys, is they still pop up and give us glimpses as to why they were so great. Steve on Instagram shows up jamming on the Banjo every so often, and Dan Gable shows up to accept a Medal of Courage, and humbly reminds President Trump that he would stand no chance against him. Just two treasures and legends in their respective fields.

Dave Chappelle - Dave is a legend in comedy circles. In addition to his legendary stand up, he had Chappelle Show, as well as his brilliant movie career. There is Half Baked Dave, where he was in one of the classic stoner movies ever made. He was already doing stand up, and doing very well, but that was the first time I became aware of Dave. I also remember going camping one time and the tent was leaking because of rain, so we just went to a hotel that had HBO and I watched Dave do standup in the room. There is no way I was old enough to be watching that at the time, but one of the things that I will always appreciate my parents for, is not giving a fuck about that stuff when it came to stand up comedy. I wouldn’t get the things that I wasn’t supposed to get, but I’d get the rest, and that’s what mattered.

Dave is so distinct in his delivery, and provides such a unique and unmatched perspective on things. Because of how he’s so clearly a one of one, meaning there won’t be another one like him at all, I’m comparing him to Kyle Dake. Both Dave and Dake (only separated by one letter, and there’s no way that’s simply coincidence) have so many levels to their careers, so many different types of accomplishments, and continue to just fire away in a manner that only they can do. Dake’s 4 championships at 4 weights won’t ever happen again, like Chappelle Show being so good, and then over. But both continue to produce at all time elite levels at their craft, and are unmistakable as anything but themselves.

Norm MacDonald - He’s generally regarded as the comedians comedian. He is outrageously funny, but on a very specific and impressive level, where the greats just acknowledge that he’s in a different realm than the rest. He’s sadly overlooked a lot of the time when discussing greats, and yet anyone who knows, knows he’s other worldy funny. Here is one of my favorite “Norm” moments, when he was a guest on Conan, and managed to completely destroy the next guest and everything she had to promote in only the way that Norm can do.

Anyway, I’m using Kevin Jackson as the comparison here. I’m worried that Kevin Jackson doesn’t get mentioned enough when we talk about some of the greatest champions in USA Wrestling history. He was a world and Olympic champion, and made the singlet look better than most ever could, but his name doesn’t come up enough. And yet, when wrestlers talk about coaches and people who have had a tremendous impact on them, Kevin Jackson is ALWAYS brought up. He deserves more recognition, and therefore I’m comparing him to Norm.

Richard Pryor - The greatest of all time. He just is. If you don’t know, then that’s too bad, but he’s unreal funny. He brought a whole new layer of intensity to comedy. He brought characters to the stage that hadn’t been heard from before, like Mudbone, and had such a unique perspective on things. He changed the game, and ushered in generations of stand up comedians. He also broke through into being a movie and TV star. He’s just the best, so with that in mind, it makes sense to comp him with Cael Sanderson. Cael is undeniably the best College wrestler of all time, so makes sense. Similarly to Richard though, they both introduced new dynamics to the sport. Whether its with his coaching success, or his attack rate, or his style, Cael has changed the way wrestling is done forever. Like people tried to copy the Iowa style before, I’m sure you’ll begin to see the Cael coaching tree start to expand in the next decade, and when that happens, the attack rate, style, and approach will be often imitated, but rarely duplicated. Just like Richard.

Dave Attell - Insomniac was on Comedy Central a little before I was ready to appreciate it. It’s great to go back now and watch some, because I have a much better appreciation for the craziness that ensues on that show, and how Dave rolls with the punches so seamlessly. He was so damn funny when he performed a lot, and then all of a sudden, he seems to have moved on to other things. Not sure if this was on purpose, or if he just didn’t have many great opportunities pop up, but anytime I listen to Dave now, I laugh super hard. Even if they are jokes I’ve already heard, or an entire routine I’m familiar with, it makes me laugh super hard. Jake Varner is the comp here. Jake was a 4x NCAA Finalist, 2x Champ, World Champ and Olympic Champ, and then he was gone. I know he lost to Kyle Snyder as he went on to establish himself in that spot, but he never came back. Just decided, “I guess this is it”, and has transitioned into coaching with Cael and Co. But not many people have their own shoe, and Jake Varner is one of those guys. The Varner shoe is basically Insomniac.

George Carlin - Such a long and illustrious career. He was so specific with his timing and technique, and crafted his jokes with precision and timing unlike anything else. He would have the long routines that he would practice over and over before going out to perform them live to make sure the timing was right, and the emphasis was placed appropriately to make use of his facial expressions and maximize how the joke lands. He was also so curious about language, and life, and is just so much fun to listen to. Here is a brief example;

His career as a standup lasted 40+ years, and he was constantly one of the best ever throughout those four decades, and occasionally, was the best. Jordan Burroughs is the comparison here. It’s easy to forget that he’s been on the senior level now for 10+ years, and before that he won two NCAA titles and a Hodge Trophy. He’s about to be competing in the Olympic Trials for the third time, and looking to head back to the precipice of wrestling once again. His sustained success at this level for as long as he has, makes this an easy comparison.